Madison times. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1884-1???, 1887-02-19
DIRE DISASTER.
The Frighttul Plunge OF a
Passenger Train
From OF a Bridge Down Into a
Deep Gorge.
FuIly Thirty Persons Crushed in the
Wreck or Burned to Death.
DIRE DISASTER.
.nother Railroad Horror.

An0tneI
roxoo,n Y n Feb ,5-The express train
80, Rostou at Z o'clock last night met
'nas 'ei' ..,-,,Is accident near WOnistock, o1
NJ, sa,trai Vermont railroad, AZ aOOu' 80"
.s,. morning. The train started from tnis
-. ,i,ne but was detained at Wnite RIVER
n..s.,tor and was about an hour and nalI
-. ,,ber II left there. II consisted ol
,ooo,,o,ive baggage car, postal car, TWO pas
.ns,,ar cosches and two sleeping cars, anu was
s,,r1irg an the usual rate OF speed. wnen nii
.hont 9n0 wards south OF the emu OF t. DpeA
hrtSge near Old Windsor Station olOAen
LII s.a struck. The locomotive, oasssgs "a. sai
la a al ear hroke away from the 70 Oh tne
a., rsssing over the bridge IN safety
Tha roI, of the train WAS thrown Iron
the rails but continued on tSa
untiI n came near the emo "
hridge and there IL ran over .l,i. tue -i1,as
meut ard all Of the cars zen lnIo y. .b;s IN,
= s-rbtfnI and when the cars went do"n
a. xas terrible crash As soon as posi-
~ ,be detached part of the train was stopped
.rd ran hack TO the scene OF the ulsaster.
Tn. sc-eams of the injured were heartrendlng.
Ass,s,ance also came from the people living
=, ths vicinity and everything done to rescue
and relieve the injured. Soon after heip ar
lived n was discovered that fire nad started IN
the drst Messenger coach, and soon the entire
train was abIsze, thus adding new horror 10
the already frightful catastrophe. Those who
80 nrsseut were pOwerless to stop the
Srs and they devoted themselves entirely to
.ttsmntfnq 10 rescue those imprisoned
m the wreck. The rescuers met another and un-
eYnected obstacle in the heat, which had be-
rnne 40 intense that they were Obliged TO re-
IIncT,i.h their efforts 10 save the sufferers, and
we're compelled t0::retreat to place OF safety
ff,r themselves, and tU become unwilling, hor-
rr stricken witnesses to the awful horror. IN
addition to this and to add to the terrors and
sufferngs of the passengers, the weather
was intensely cold. and the heroic rescuers
we're hlndercd thereby IN their work NO wa
trr could be obtained with which To check or
srtingulsh the flames. The ice was several
inches thick on the river and there were no
sppIiapces nj hand to raise it. Ira A. Chase,
of Bristol. was at White River Junction when
The news OF the disaster was received, and
vent 10 the wreck on a special train. His
story Of the accident is as follows:
The train left White River junction late
md the accident Is thought to have occurred
about lis A broken rail was discovered some
800 feet this side Of the bridge, but whether
this caused the accident or the wheel first broke,
a In doubt The locomotive and baggage and
mai cars crossed the bridge in safety. Two
passenger cosches. the Boston sleeping car
tPilerimn and the Springfield sleeper st.
Albans,s went of the bridge at the end on the
Yiehf hand side, and apparently turned bottom
.si-r.r - sls1 k.Il.- No. H~i..s .~As by st ~
that when they got to the scene there was no
Ore, except In the forward passenger car. But
the flames soon spread To the other cars and
then TO the bridge; all were consumed. Twen-
ty.six persons, a. far as known, have been TAX
- tbn oaru vvhiah wAra hnrnad Two
of these are said to be Mr.. Wesson, . pistol
manufacturer of Springfield, and Ed.
DFockelbsnks. o brakeman. but they died
Dm after Two passenger coaches were
flled. and every berth in the Boston sleep
Ing car was occupied and twelve in the one
from Springfield. making the total number
Of passengers In the wrecked cars about
eighty. This viii probably make the
number Of dead between fifty and sixty.
The bridge was between thirty and forty feet
above the water, which was c,vcr'd with thick
ice making Il probable that death resulted
from crushing and burning rather than from
drowning. Several we're penned up in the
wreck who might have been rescued alive but
Tor the flames. Brakeman Parker, who was on
the forward end Of the first passenger car,
ielf the jar and saved his life By jumping:
he quickly secured a CONVEYANCE and carried
the news to White River junction.
An occupant Of the Boston sleeper, whose
name could not be ascertained. passed through
here this afternoon. He said the car was full
every berth being occupied. The train was
late out OF White River junction and when it
ieft II bad sleeper from Springfield beside the
PASSENGER cars He thinks 1t must have been
aoout2;l0 O'Clock in the morning when be was
awakened By the quiveriDg of the ear as IL 1t
was on the rails. This movement he noticed
put a short time, when be became conscious
tnat the coaches had gone over an abutment
OF bridge and was sinking with frightful
Iapidity. 10 add 70 his CONSERVATION, the car
turned upside down and when it struck the
ee IN the river the top was crushed In. He
Seeupied lower berth and by almost sup
nnman Efforts, he succeeded In extricating him
sen nom the wreck. He was acquainted with
sne OCCUPANT OF the upper birth, Boston
snaeman, and as quickly as possible set
himself at work to relieve his friend. He
.ofked with energy and BY his kind words
eneereu, put his efforts proved unsuccessful
Ana ne was nnallg driven away by the flames
sna became an involuntary witness Of the
nofriole death of his companion, who was
burned before his eyes. Saw ouite
= number OF persons rescued many
WIN severe bruises and burma Hut
lew bodies had been taken out when he iett
a.euas tlne Is was impossible to ascertain the
nes 80 or numoer Of victims He expressed
ne oeIlef, however, that no more than thirtv
ons were killed. The railroad bridge took
se T rom the wreck, and was totally destroved.
ne accident Is the most terrible of any that